Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Bachelorette Party Survival Kits

Bachelorette parties are fun, but they can also take a lot out of you- especially the weekend getaways! When going out of town, a girl is bound by nature to forget something important for such a trip. This is why I love the idea of having "Bachelorette Party Survival Kits." 

I decided to give this idea a try for Brittany's bachelorette party in Savannah. I haven't put together anything like this before, but I thought it would be a good idea-especially because it was a weekend trip. I thought the guests might appreciate having some things to "survive" off of for the weekend.

These kits were more than just a cure for the average hangover. They include items that girls might have forgotten or might need while they are there, plus a few items to help out with the morning-after-a-long-night-of-celebrating headache. It's just a nice gesture, plus helpful, and a cute idea!

I have seen some people do individual kits for each guest or one big bucket of supplies. For this bachelorette party we had two hotel rooms, so I did one for each room! I used some small, black, plastic buckets for the kits and put some hot pink/zebra tissue paper in the bottom.

Items included:
Sprite                  Bandaids            Make Up Remover Wipes
Saltines                Nail files            Deodorant
Bandaids             Toothpaste         Lint roller  
Ibuprofen            Tums                  Tampons
Hair ties              Q Tips                Shout wipes
Bobby pins          Emergen-C        Mouth wash
Altoids                                  

I tried to think of everything we might need for the weekend, but I'm sure that there are things I could have added or items that weren't really needed. Although, I will say that the ibuprofen, saltines, and bandaids are a MUST! The options for these kits are endless, really!

I think that the guests really appreciated the fact that these items were available and the thought that was put into this idea.

There was a good bit of stuff left over, so I'm planning on taking the left over stuff for an emergency kit on the wedding day! So, it kind of worked out perfectly. For the wedding day emergency kit I'll probably add things like static guard and safety pins- I think these are essentials.

Bacheloretty Party- check! Next up is the big day for Brittany and Brian, so of course you should be on the look out for a post about that!





Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Tu-Tutorial

As I have kind of mentioned in previous posts- when I am a bridesmaid I make all of the bride's dreams come true...within reason of course! 

So, when Brittany requested that the bachelorette party have a tutu themed night for her bachelorette party I did what I could to make it happen. I let everyone know in advance so that they could purchase or make a DIY tutu. We will be wearing the tutu's the first night while we ride the bike tavern through the Savannah Pedals company. How fun is that?? When I visited Nashville last year there was a bachelorette party riding a bike tavern and the girls were dressed up in tutu's and USA attire and it looked so fun!

I was determined to make my own and also offered to make Amber's. I searched Pinterest for a while and looked at a few different pins with instructions on how to DIY, then I just kind of went for it. I bought some elastic and tulle and went at it with my sewing kit (thanks grandma!).

Here's what I did:

I used the "Sew-ology" brand of elastic from Hobby Lobby (of course). I bought the 3/4 inch, white polyester, braided elastic, but I think any kind would really work. It really just depends on how thick you want it to be and what you think would be most comfortable. I just wrapped the elastic around my waist where I had planned to wear the tutu, then secured it with a safety pin, and sewed it together.

You can also use ribbon, but I figured I would be movin' and groovin' a good bit so I wanted something a little more reliable!

I used 6 inch tulle, cut into approximately 20 inch strips. You want the length of the tulle strips to be twice the length of how long you want the skirt to be because when you tie the knot you will be folding it in half. So, if you cut 20 inch strips, your skirt will be about 10 inches long.

I used a basic slip knot to tie the tulle onto the elastic, shown here:
Fold the piece of tulle in half and hold behind the elastic.
Then fold the top part of the tulle over the elastic; leave enough room to pull the the tulle in the back through the hole
Pull the tulle from the back through the hole.
Then pull it tightly, and voila!

This is what it will look like after you start putting the tulle on!

This was a really easy project and much less expensive than buying one (plus, it turned out adorable!)- I have seen them for around $20.00 or more and I made this one for about $7.00. You really can't beat that! Another bonus was that it only took about 30 minutes to make!

Have you ever made a tutu or something similar? What worked for and what didn't?

Keep an eye out for my upcoming bachelorette party post! You will see pictures of all the lovely ladies dressed in tutu's!

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Tips For A Memorable Maid of Honor Speech

One of the duties a MOH must confront is writing a speech for the rehearsal or wedding-and that can be a daunting task- Where do I start? What do I say? How long should it be?

My first wedding this year is coming up in about a month, so I have been doing some research on this very topic. I came across some different blogs and posts on Pinterest with tips for writing a great speech and overcoming speaking in public (this can be really nerve wrecking for some).

Here are some of the things I found really helpful:

To be confident:

-Practice and know that you are prepared. Don't wing it and don't read straight from your paper.

-Share stories and feelings- don't just write a speech, write something from the heart and be sincere. This will make it easier to remember!

-Don't drink too much before you start your speech, wait until you're done to start boozing it up! (You don't want to be a hot mess in front of all the guests...)

Tips for the speech:

-First of all, keep it short. This is another reason it is important to practice, so that you can time it! Don't ramble on forever (like, 5 minutes) telling stories that no one can relate to.

-Introduce yourself- who are you? how do you know the bride and groom?

-Say your thank yous- thank the bride and groom, the bride's parents, and anyone else who helped to plan and put on the event.

-Greet the happy couple and tell them how amazing they look!

-Add some personal touches- share story of how you know the bride and groom, but stay away from too many inside jokes that the crowd wont be able to relate to. Also, make sure you include the groom in your speech as much as the bride. Nothing is worse than a speech dedicated to your lifelong friendship with the bride and not about the couple and their big day.

-Toast to the couple. A simple, "cheers," will do, but I have also read some more elaborate toasts as well. (if you search "wedding toast quotes" on Pinterest, you will find a million ideas!).

I hope this was helpful, I know that these tips were very useful to me as I was writing my next speech!

Have you found any tips that were useful for speech writing??

Good luck out there to all you MOH's, Best Men, Fathers, Mothers etc etc who will be giving speeches one day soon! Remember- practice makes perfect!

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

#bridesmaidproblems

I realized that I should be using this hashtag more often... I mean, I think it could turn into a movement (especially now that the spring wedding season is approaching).

Recently, I was reading over this Buzzfeed article again and thinking about how truly relevant it is to my life right now.

There are some things that you won't truly be able to understand or appreciate unless you have been a bridesmaid before.... 

For instance, while planning the Monograms and Mimosas shower I went to Hobby Lobby A LOT. When I was getting all packed up to go to Atlanta for the shower I realized I have SO MUCH BURLAP. SO. MUCH. I have different sizes, different colors, different shapes.... I mean, if you need some burlap, just let me know and I can hook you up!! 

I was discussing this excessive burlap issue with Amber and we were joking that I should have tweeted about it. Really, I should be tweeting whenever something like that happens and using the hashtag #bridesmaidproblems... 

Going back the the Buzzfeed article, number 8 and number 9 are my life right now. 

I have a long list of events to plan and be a part of this year! Mostly showers and bachelorette parties, but also a bridesmaid luncheon. Also, I have never been a part of so many secret Pinterest boards in my life! #bridesmaidprobz

Secret boards are the bomb because you can use Pinterest for inspiration, but keep all your ideas a secret. For instance, myself and Jenny had a secret board for Monograms and Mimosas that we used to communicate ideas for decorations, gifts, and food. 

I currently have a secret board for a brunch shower, bachelorette party, and bridesmaid luncheon. All of which are events that are being planned for someone who frequents Pinterest. I have a feeling that I will have more before the year is up, especially now that you can have an unlimited number of secret boards. #bridesmaidproblems

In the near future, I will start worrying about the bachelorette party in Savannah going smoothly, preparing a speech for Brittany's wedding, and the day of Brittany's wedding! #bridesmaidproblems All of which I am also very excited for of course.  

Now, I know it's kind of funny to think about hashtagging all of this stuff and let's be honest-I will be sending out more and more of these kind of tweets as the weddings approach. However, at the same time, I think these #bridesmaidproblems are some of the best problems to have because I get to plan/be a part of stuff for my closest friends and I love it.

Are there any of you who can relate? Comment below to share some of your own #bridesmaidsproblems or tweet me @kaytinsley using the hashtags from this post!

I'm looking forward to writing blogs on the bachelorette party that's coming up in just a few weeks! Also, look out for a blog on speech writing (dun, dun, dun...)!